Can't see the Forest for the Wood
by Lueur-de-L'aube
Summary: Sharing a bed with her partner had long ago ceased to be an issue for Maka, but it was an entirely different matter when erections were involved, erections that were pressed against her butt. Just what she needed on top of a mission they seemed to be doomed to fail spectacularly.


Maka couldn't sleep.

Their most recent mission had lead them to the Black Forest in southwest Germany, where a particularly unpredictable pre-kishin was wreaking havoc and terrorizing tourists, specifically smaller and weaker targets. Two people had managed to avoid becoming pre-kishin food by sheer luck and Shibusen had been quick to react by sending Soul and Maka to investigate.

However their target was unlike any pre-kishin they'd fought before. and their hunt was taking them much longer than expected. This pre-kishin was small, round, plump and preferred to wear colourful clothing and a pink fedora with an orange bow attached to the side of it. The colours clashed horribly and its deep, smooth voice clashed with its appearance even more.

But that was not the reason Maka couldn't sleep.

No, the reason she couldn't sleep was that her partner might or might not have an erection that was pressing against her ass while he was blissfully sleeping.

This had never happened before. She squirmed a little, trying to get away from Soul, who had draped an arm over her waist. They had shared beds and living spaces before but he had never gotten a boner before, even though he was a very cuddly person. Maka had always chalked it up to him finding not an attractive bone in her body, which admittedly was upsetting─she couldn't dwell in things like that for too long because it wasn't like she wanted him to find her sexy and attractive and lust after her or anything, , even though a tiny part of her would like to believe that his boner was a result of him liking her ass, his Tiny Tits comments had made her immune to the possibility of his attraction. Speaking of boners...

Maka didn't know how to deal with boners.

The more she tried to put a little space between them, the more Soul moved closer and tightened his hold around her to keep her in place. She growled lowly as she closed her eyes and exhaled sharply, clenching her fists tightly. She willed herself to stay calm and not to let her anger get the better of her. It wasn't like she was angry at him.

It was a natural reaction of his body. He was a guy and guys got erections. Nothing wrong with that. Eventually it had to...had to go away, right? So if she stayed calm and waited and ignored it, it would go away and─

Oh God, was he rubbing himself against her?!

She made a startled squeak and jumped out of the bed, not giving a damn if she woke him up and made everything more awkward. She turned on her heel, ready to lash out at him if his peacefully snoring face hadn't stopped her. She sighed as her shoulder slumped. She eyed the floor tiredly before she plopped down inelegantly, huffing as she laid down and stretched her arm out to retrieve the blanket she had been covering herself with.

She sighed again and tried to get comfortable, and then Soul groaned.

She tensed up, pulling the blanket more tightly around her small body.

"_Please, don't have a wet dream; please, don't have a wet dream; please, don't have a wet dream."_

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Even though she had prayed for tomorrow to come fast, she was still cursing Soul when he nudged her side with his foot, his disbelieving voice slowly pulling her out of her sleepy daze.

"Maka? What the hell are you doing on the floor?"

She moaned and cracked an eye open, slowly rolling to her side. She winced at the pain in her neck and back as she blinked several times and saw the curious face of her partner looming over her.

"Did you fall off the bed?" he asked, his lips pulling into an infuriating grin.

"_No, you were humping against my butt so I decided to sleep on the floor."_

She decided not to say that and instead settled on simpler words, "Shut up."

She sat up with a groan, her joints creaking too loudly for someone of her age. Soul held his hand out to her, tilting his head to the side, a silent apology playing in his eyes. She took his hand with a huff, glaring half-heartedly as he helped her up to her feet and she was once again reminded how natural it was for them to touch each other like this. They had always been comfortable in each other's presence, aside from the first few months of their partnership when she had berated herself for agreeing to partner up with someone who had a penis.

After the initially reluctant handholding, they became more at ease with each other and soon it wasn't unusual to share rooms or beds during missions or nap together on their small couch.

But...

Those instances had never involved erections. Erections that were pressed up against her butt. Her gaze slipped from his face down to his crotch...and remained there. She felt her blood pounding in her veins as a blush crawled over her cheeks. She just hoped his...his thing wouldn't be standing at attention tonight as well. She wasn't sure if she could bear to spend another night on the hard and unforgiving floor. Yes, little Soul definitely needed to stay down. But how? If it happened again should she ignore it even if he was humping against her? Or wake him up or...or...or...

"Uh, Maka? Are you staring at my dick?"

Her head whipped up. "No! Why would I do that?!"

She released his hand quickly, her face a beet red as she desperately tried not to think of how she really had been staring at his dick and how that dick had been very, very erect last night.

"Chill, I was just joking," he said, backing away a little. His confusion was nearly palpable and if she didn't get away from him right now, he'd figure out what was bothering her quickly because he was perceptive like that, the jerk. There was no way she could stand being near him anymore because she would never be able to get rid of the blush on her face.

"I-I know that. It's a stupid joke." It was a feeble attempt at trying to regain her composure. It did nothing to erase the suspicion on Soul's face and she impulsively did what she thought was the best. She marched right into the bathroom, not even once looking at him as she nearly tripped over her feet.

* * *

Today's moral of the story was that you probably couldn't succeed in defeating a pre-kishin if your thoughts frequently wandered to towards your partner's dick.

This whole mission sucked. She sucked. Soul sucked. His dick suck─

She shouldn't be thinking of his penis and the word 'suck' together. She shook her head fervently, eyes blazing as witch hunter roared shakily to life, the air crackling with sparks and the power of their entwined souls, despite the less than stellar condition of their attack.

The pre-kishin, or Bartholomew J. Hickenbottom or _Barty_ as he insisted they call him, was a fast little fuck, dodging their attacks expertly and taking time to twirl his ridiculous fedora in his hand. He sighed overdramatically, adjusting the fedora cautiously before his gaze swept over her and his lips stretched into a leering grin.

"I remember your performance and technique being a lot more advanced yesterday, Maka. What happened? Did you wear each other out too much?" He winked at her embarrassed squeak.

"Damn it, Maka! Focus!" Soul yelled, his wavelength nearly as unstable as hers and she wondered if it was because of her or because─

Fuck!

Barty lunged towards them and she barely had the time to raise Soul in front of her to block his attack of...confetti?

"Huh?"

She staggered back more out of confusion than anything, staring stupidly at the coloured slips and pieces of paper raining over their heads and in that moment, Barty was right in front of her, invading her personal space, and punching her across the face and making her head whip to the side. She hissed, not because of the pain, his punch had been rather weak, but because of her inability to focus and letting herself get distracted by the pre-kishin's stupid antics.

She quickly adjusted her stance, gripping Soul's shaft...

Fuck it. No more thinking.

Glaring heatedly, she ran forward, eyes narrowing when he wouldn't stop smiling. He was a sneaky bastard and Maka wasn't that out of it to doubt he was planning something again, but she wouldn't make a fool out of herself this time. She refused to. She skidded to a halt with too much distance to execute a proper attack, yet she still swung Soul around before she stopped, smiling at the confusion on the pre-kishin's face, and quickly jumped to the side, evading its punch. She made a quick turn and was behind him in an instant.

Soul's blade missed his neck by a hair's breadth as Barty made a half-spin, craning his neck with a grunt. She held back an exasperated groan because this fucking mission was taking far too long and she didn't have the fucking patience to deal with this fucking pre-kishin. She gritted her teeth tightly, making her jaw hurt and her fingers numb because of the iron-like grip she had on Soul.

She exhaled sharply. No more playing around. She breathed in. "Bartholomew J. Hickenbottom," she faintly heard Soul chortling and ignored the heat on her cheeks and her embarrassment. She'd finish her catchphrase, damn it! Even if said catchphrase lost its threatening tone thanks to his ridiculous name. "Your soul is mine!"

"No, I don't think so, Maka darling," he said with a wink, wiping the sweat away from his forehead, only to grab his fedora and throw it against her. Soul's blade cut it cleanly in half but it was all the distraction Barty needed and his stocky legs catapulted him above her head.

Damn it! She couldn't let him get away again. After a miniscule second of confusion she was sprinting after him, her boots noisily stumping on fallen pines and branches and cones. Following that damned pre-kishin was easier said than done, though. He knew this forest in and out, was familiar with the large and imposing trees and was about as fast as she. She let the range of her soul perception expand, and cussed loudly when she felt the insane soul's small flicker at a distance she'd never be able to cross fast enough.

She slowed down, sweat dripping down the side of her temple as her thudding heart-beat slowed down and exhaustion and resignation set in. Soul materialized next to her in a flash of blue as she clenched her fists tightly, the feeling of defeat weighing down on her heavily.

"Well, I guess this means another night in the wooden hut in the middle of this goddamn forrest," Soul mumbled and kicked a stray cone away, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

Guilt ate away at her heart at his words, making her hang her head dejectedly. If it weren't for her lack of concentration, they'd have gotten him for sure. And the reason why she hadn't been able to focus was pushed to the forefront of her mind. She took a sharp breath and said, "I'm sorry."

His glare vanished almost in an instant, lips easing into a resigned half-smile. "It's okay, we're both responsible for this, no need to get guilty about it."

While she appreciated his effort to make her feel better, and caused her heart to jump as though stung by bees," she still knew that she was primarily at fault for this failure of a mission. She had been the one contemplating the details of his dick. She felt his hand on her shoulder as they slowly made their way back and she tried her best to keep her eyes to the ground.

* * *

Maka couldn't remember the last time she had felt this embarrassed when talking to Shinigami-sama. She didn't know how he managed to look so disapproving with that goofy mask of his.

She was sitting on the bed, her hair damp with the shower she had just taken. Wallowing in self-pity wasn't going to solve this. Damn it, she was a two-star meister, being unprofessional and stupid wasn't like her at all. She seriously needed to get rid of this inner Freud of hers or she wouldn't wait for Shinigami-sama to spell the dreaded words and she'd demote herself.

It was as if everything around her was now phallic shaped. She couldn't think of Soul's shaft without connecting it with his dick instead of his scythe form's...dick─no, no, STICK!

She tiredly plopped down on the bed and grimaced, wondering if this was happening because of repressed sexual feelings. She had her ways of finding relief and Soul was in the shower and maybe he was masturbating as well and well, fuck, why was she doing this to herself, and why was her brain flooded with images of him touching himself and─

The door to the bathroom opened slowly and she was eternally grateful that Soul had put on his pajamas before he came out. She didn't think she could handle him in just a towel right now. She breathed a sigh of relief, giving him a small, shy smile when he sat next to her, rubbing - there was no way she could ever not connect all vocabulary in the English language with sex - his hair dry.

They sat like this for awhile in silence and it made her painfully aware how she missed basking in each other's presence comfortably without her pervy thoughts derailing it.

"Maka?"

"Hm?"

He let the towel drop from his head, his hands and fingers, long and strong and soft, folding it neatly. Soul had very nice fingers, elegant even, a pianist's fingers. He was talented with them. Maybe his talents extended beyond piano-playing. She squirmed uneasily, willing herself to ignore these dirty thoughts and focus solely on his serious expression.

"Is, uh, is everything okay? I mean you've been kinda out of it lately. Did something happen?"

Oh yes, something did happen, but she couldn't possibly tell him what exactly. He'd think she was a total creep. What kind of partner concerned herself with her partner's genitals?

She ducked her head, absentmindedly pulling a pigtail out of the hair tie. "I'm fine, Soul. I'm just pissed at this damn pre-kishin and how long we're taking to defeat it." She repeated the process with the other pigtail, hating the silence between them because she could feel the suspicion ooze out of him. She knew she wasn't good at hiding things and it certainly didn't help that Soul was far too perceptive for his own good.

He shifted next to her and languidly stretched out to plop down on the bed, cushioning his head on his palms. "You know as well as I do that's not the only thing that's bothering you. You seem distracted by something and knowing you, you'll overthink shit again until you lose focus of the bigger picture. You might as well try to talk about it now, which you're gonna do anyway, eventually because you're too stubborn to admit that you've got problems."

"I don't have any problems," she gritted out, clenching her fists.

"Bullshit."

She growled deeply, nails digging into the skin of her thighs as irrational anger welled up in her chest. She wished she had a book with her right here because his uppity tone and know-it-all voice pissed her off like nothing else─even if he had a point. It didn't help matters that he was the very source of her problems. Yes, he and his stupid male anatomy which he couldn't control.

"Look, Maka," he began as he brought himself into a lazy sitting position and put his hand on her elbow. She flinched away from his touch, glaring heatedly at him, and tried not to feel too guilty at the brief glimpse of hurt in his eyes. "The sooner we─"

"I don't want to talk about anything, Soul. I'll be fine if you just give me some fucking space," she snapped, swallowing down another wave of expletives. She made the mistake of looking into his eyes again, his stricken expression making her stomach churn. Averting her eyes, she added with a small voice, because she couldn't bear to see him look like a kicked puppy, especially if she was the reason, "Please. I just want to sleep now."

Soul didn't say anything, just scrambled as far to his side of the bed as he could, giving her the space she had demanded.

Great. Now she felt bad.

She curled into a small ball of misery on her side of the bed, the irony that she felt cold without Soul's chest pressed against her back not lost on her and pulled the thin blanket over her small frame.

Soul's moodiness weighed heavily on her conscience. She was close to turning around, an apology on the tip of her tongue, but decided against it in the last second because an apology would surely result in another confrontation, which would lead to him interrogating her again, which would only end up making her angry and snappy again, repeating the previous events. Besides, she was pretty sure he was asleep by now, judging by his rhythmic breathing.

She shut her eyes, intent on getting a little sleep at least; she needed to be fit for tomorrow because she sure as hell was not going to let that pre-kishin slip away again. Bartholomew J. Hickenbottom was not physically strong, as she had noticed when he had punched her back. She had barely felt the sting of his fist against her cheek. She frowned. That guy hadn't previously attacked her like that, if she recalled correctly. No, his pathetic punch was pretty much the only time had ever taken an offensive action against her; before that he had more or less fooled around, bombarded them with confetti or had made silly remarks. If he weren't so quick on his feet, she'd─

Oh, fuck!

There was a strong arm draped around her suddenly, a hard chest against her back, and...and...

She gulped.

Why? Why this again?

Her face contorted into something between frightened confusion and debilitating mortification and her attempts to wiggle away from him only caused _her to rub against his straining erection. _This was too much, she couldn't deal with the same shit for two consecutive days. At this point, she was sure her face was going to vanish in a puff of steam and─fuck, fuck, _fuck_. Now he was humping her butt. The arm around her waist tightened, he was closer than he had ever been before, making her heart stutter and thud and her limbs tense up, and─ oh God, there was his mouth against her ear and...and...and─

"_Maka_."

She jumped out of the bed with a shrill squeak, not giving a damn if she woke him or the entire forest up. She landed on the floor as a graceless heap of blanket, limbs and heated skin, her head pounding with the pain that came with clumsily hitting her head against the edge of the small nightstand next to the bed.

"Ouch."

"Maka?"

Oh, now of course his voice was sleepy and puzzled and not throaty and husky and sexy. A snort and teasing laughter followed, crushing her pride into tiny smithereens, only furthered when she saw him looking down at her, the red of his eyes vibrant despite the darkness in the hut.

"So you did fall off the bed last time too, huh?" He snickered, knifing the pitiful remains of her dignity.

She disentangled herself from the blanket and pointedly ignored the hand he held down to her, getting on her shaky feet and wondering if the scorching heat on her face managed to burn a hole in the ground. Her treacherous eyes flitted to his crotch and oh, of course, his boner would be gone now. She glowered at it darkly, and only looked away when Soul called out to her.

"Okay, you were definitely staring...no, glaring at my dick. What's your fucking problem?"

And she snapped. "I'll tell you what my fucking problem is! You...your─" she pointed an accusing finger at him, eyes gleaming with righteous anger. "Your...your penis is my problem!"

He blinked. She blinked. It felt like that even the noisy wildlife outside stopped to make any sounds just to hammer the point home that things were _awkward_. Maybe if she ever ended her career as a meister because she was scaring her partners off with her dumb behaviour, she could use these uneasy experiences as a basis for the scripts of generic sitcoms.

"What?" She didn't know where to place his voice on the spectrum from _wtf-is-wrong-with-you _to _partner-needs-mental-health_. What she knew however, was that she wanted to dig herself a hole and die. How was she supposed to get out of this one? "What has my dick done to you?"

There were some options on how to deal with this mortifying situation and only one of them appealed to Maka Albarn because it was her default way of dealing with a lot of stuff in her life. Instead of calmly trying to explain everything to him, which was impossible with her current state of mind considering that she was hoping to be able to sprout nice, sparkly, angelic wings so she could fly away and never turn back, she embraced her annoyance, the finger that had been limply pointing at him straightened.

"It rubbed against me! While you were asleep! It wouldn't have been a problem and I'd have just ignored your─your boner if you weren't such a cuddleslut and were so close to me and breathed down my neck during sleep!"

"..."

"Why do you think I slept on the floor last night?! It was because you were rubbing your penis against my...my b-butt"

By the end of her tirade she was panting, her chest heaving and cheeks flaring, and she took a sick delight in her partner's equally red face, which was spelling an expressive range of emotions, all of them making him look like he wanted to dig himself a hole as well and wither and shrivel away. Damn right! That was what he deserved for humping her...in his sleep...accidentally...without knowing...

She had the uncanny ability to make herself feel very bad whenever she snapped at him. It wasn't like Soul was aware of what he had been doing and, sure, it had been awkward for her too but...but...

"I'm sorry," he said, voice barely above a whisper as he uneasily rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh man, this is is so uncool. I'm really sorry, Maka. I didn't mean to do that. I didn't know my dreams affected me this much in─"

And all words that had come tumbling out of his mouth stopped, his expression contorting into one of panicky dread. Somewhere in the back of her mind a little voice was telling her to drop it, but she wouldn't be Maka Albarn if she let matters just drop easily like that. She raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Soul? What dreams?" She actually had wanted to apologize but her curiosity had to get the better of her of course.

He was reduced into inelegant stammering. "Uh, just...just forget it. I never said anything."

She stomped her foot like a petulant, prissy little princess and placed her hands on her hips. "What are you talking about Soul? What dreams?"

She was fully expecting a an epic clash of their combined stubbornness and was quite surprised when he sighed and ran a hand through his hair before he said, "Well, uh, dreams with me and you in it and doing...stuff."

Before she could express her exasperation at his vagueness, he quickly added with a strained voice and red face that would have made a tomato proud, "They were sex dreams okay!"

Oh.

_Oh. _

Well, that explained the boner.

And because human language was way out of her grasp right now and because she had no idea how to articulate her thoughts properly, she said, "Oh."

Soul made something that was between a snort and scoff, ducking his head in a pitiful attempt to hide his burning face as she stared at him intently. "So yeah, now you know."

Her partner had sex dreams about her? About her, the titless bookworm, and she was the reason he was popping nightly boners! She felt strangely at ease with this piece of information, all anger and irritation leaving her body only to lull her into a state of relaxed serenity.

She was okay with this. This meant she wasn't the only one who had been having less than appropriate thoughts about her partner. Her hazy gaze flitted down to his crotch and for once she was not regarding it with contempt and embarrassment. She wished she fully knew what these new turns of events meant, but she didn't. She knew that they both had the hots for each other, but she didn't know or at least wasn't fully aware of the possible ramifications on their partnership and friendship. Things like that needed more to time to be mulled over, acting hastily now could have severe consequences and─

She perked up, her mind clearing from teenage hormones and her libido, her meister-instincts kicking in with a painful intensity. Her temple throbbed as her soul perception went haywire, the pulsing of the pre-kishin's soul closeby.

"Soul, he...," she tried to look into his eyes even though both of them would rather not at the moment, "The pre-kishin is here, Soul. Let's go."

* * *

In the end, they finished the mission that should have been finished a week ago with the ease they were known for. It was easy to find Barty and it was easier to dispose of him, the blade of Soul's scythe cleanly cutting him in half.

Along the way they managed to resolve the tension between them mostly, it had been a wordless affair, a few glances and the feeling of reassuring both strong in them, agreeing that yes, everything was still okay and that they should perhaps talk about it after the mission was done to clear up everything. It mercifully made part of her concern dissipate and allowed her to ditch the clumsiness with which she had approached this mission initially.

Barty had teased them and it was both infuriating and embarrassing that such a weak pre-kishin made fools of them. He was so confident that they would not be much of a threat to him, that he sought them out this time. He chuckled as he jumped from foot to foot, crooking a finger, beckoning them towards him.

Her grasp on Soul tightened and she gritted her teeth. Maka was sick and tired of this game and his constant confetti throwing. Oh no, not this time. This time she was going to take that little motherfucker down as was befitting of badasses like her and Soul.

"Soul? Let's resonate and end this."

His wavelength hummed pleasantly in the back of her mind, and she could feel his grin stretching widely, baring his sharp teeth. She envied him for his control, envied him because he was able to concentrate on what was important right now and didn't allow himself to get distracted by other shit. There was a faint trace of unease in his soul still, which she refused to prod further, but he was still focused, complementing her in every way with his calm nature when she was anything but calm. This time though, their wavelengths matched with a beautiful conformity and her faith in them soared. "Right. Let's do this."

Their resonance was powerful and more than enough to make Barty falter in his amusement. Pines and dust and cones whipped around them with the force of their combined souls as she smiled at him, twisted and cruel and giddy. "Your soul is mine!"

She lunged forward, her steps quick and her eyes not missing a single detail as she avoided his pathetic confetti attack. Swinging the scythe up in a smooth arc, she brought it down swiftly, cutting through cheap fabric and flesh and bones.

It was a work of art how strong and efficient they were together. It was hilariously stupid how she well she was able to concentrate the moment she found out that Soul might desire her the way she desired him.

Barty gave an ear-shattering screech, his body convulsing and dissolving as he glared at them hatefully, his last words resonating hollowly through the forest. "Well, you are not fun at all, anymore."

She smiled elatedly and her lips stretched wider when Soul appeared next her, shooting her an award winning grin that made her weak in the knees and her heart ache in her chest. She sighed, relieved and content. It was about damn time they defeated this pre-kishin. She watched Soul gulp the soul down with awe. It wasn't the first time she took note of the enticing curve of his neck or the nice way his Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed souls down and gave that fulfilled, pleased sigh that made her toes curl. He sounded so satisfied, and it made her want to try out other things that could satisfy him.

The walk back was so awkward that Maka was reminded of the first weeks of their partnership, yet they didn't make any attempts to quicken their gaits. It wasn't like anything was going to be different between them now because of the change of location─but then again their resonance had been clear and strong, lacking the odd way their wavelengths met and how it had felt like they'd rather not meet. She sighed heavily, feeling tired and drained, yet happy and most of all...horny.

She didn't know how far away they were from the hut, but the way suddenly felt longer than the previous times; she'd just trust Soul on this one. Maka just wanted to curl up and take a long nap...that, or screw her partner. She wasn't sure how favourable said partner would respond to that, her brain telling her not to voice that wish unless she wanted their partnership to crumble like dry cookies. Then again, he had just told her that he had been having dreams with her starring in the main role.

She should have been more disturbed by this, but she didn't know the entirety of his dreams and for all she knew she could have been the one to cockblock him in his wet dreams and not be the one who caused the nightly boners. No, he had said they _were doing stuff _in his dreams. Wasn't that pretty obvious that they were having sex and thus she was the cause of his boners? Another sigh. She plopped down without any conscious effort, not caring that her panties were visible or that her skirt didn't do much to hide her thighs, though she did blush when Soul turned around and his eyes widened.

He was at her side immediately, kneeling in front of her, and worry written all over his face. "Hey, are you okay? Are your legs hurt or anything?"

She shook her head with a small smile, touched by his concern, and patted him on the cheek affectionately. "No, I'm okay, just a little tired."

"Let's rest a little then," he said and sat down next to her, legs sprawled out in front of him as he threw his head back and closed his eyes, enjoying the slight breeze of the night ruffling his hair.

"Soul, I'm sorry," she mumbled, "You know for being such a bitch earlier...because you know. It's not like you were consciously doing it or anything...so yeah."

"It's okay...I guess. I'd have been pretty freaked out in your place, too. And I'm sorry. Even if I wasn't aware of what I was doing, it's still uncool to _humpyourpartnerinyoursleep._"

She snorted. Only they could have such ridiculous conversations. She bumped against his arm with a smile, eliciting an amused yet uneasy grin from him. She sighed heavily, feeling another large chunk of her worries vanishing into thin air. Though there was still a small issue that was plaguing her overactive mind. She wasn't sure if it was the wise thing to bring it up so shortly after things seemed to be okay between them. But...

It was a night she could have been enjoying instead of moping around or wasting away with hunting a weak pre-kishin. Her life was filled with dangers, and it only took the smallest mistake to turn an easy mission into a fatal one. She frowned heavily, aimlessly kicking fallen pines in front of her. They were lucky that this pre-kishin hadn't been a particularly strong one, but relied more on confusing people. Life was too short and dangerous for her to squander it by overthinking everything; she might as well talk this shit out with Soul before things escalated further.

"Soul?" her voice sounded almost bored, but her heart was racing and the apprehension was going to kill her if she didn't voice her thoughts right now. "About the...dreams you mentioned."

He immediately tensed up, his breath hitching when he jerkily turned his head to look at her. His blush was kind of cute, and she found his utter lack of a cool facade quite appealing for some reason. Her eyes were once again drawn to his Adam's apple when he gulped.

"Uh, yeah. What about 'em?"

She took a deep breath, ignored her hammering heart and hoped she was doing the right thing. She pulled her legs close and changed her seating position so that she was kneeling and fully turned to him. She put her hands on her thighs, slightly rubbing the fabric of her skirt because she needed to hold on to something and her brain was shouting at her to put them around Soul's neck, in his hair, run them down his chest and pump his─

She straightened her back and pressed her lips tightly together, taking another calming breath. She could do this. Maka Albarn did not run away from confrontations. She looked him in the eyes, and almost backpedaled on her idea because this surely couldn't end well.

"What...happened in them?"

He choked on his breath, eyes widening. His lips parted only to shut firmly as he released a heated breath through his nose, his left hand rubbing the back of his neck. When he finally spoke, she didn't catch his mumbling, his voice low and hushed and hasty.

"Soul, what? Speak up."

He gave her a disgruntled yet weak glare before he sighed, resigned and defeated. "I thought we went over this already?"

She ignored the heat on her cheeks, kept her gaze focused on his hunched form and cleared her throat loudly. "Okay, so they're...sex dreams, I get that," her voice wavered a little, and she briefly glanced down, unable to maintain the eye contact, "B-but you said I was in them and...I mean, what did I do─what did we do?"

Soul stared at her as if she had just proposed they enter a ménage à trois with Black*Star.

"What the hell do you think we did in a sex dream?!" he snapped, their cheeks a matching red.

She made a quiet squeak as heat bubbled in her stomach and spread all over her body.

Soul just made a strained grunt and looked away, a thick, uneasy silence engulfing them. Maka knew she should have been more worried what consequences this odd exchange could hold for their partnership, but instead she was...happy. Happy that her partner had been dreaming about her in less than innocent ways. She slowly licked her lips.

"Okay, let me rephrase that: what did we do, exactly?" she asked, applauding herself for the steadiness of her voice even when Soul gave her a look that quite obviously questioned her sanity. Before he could open his mouth to throw a snarky remark at her, she elaborated, "I mean we obviously...had sex. But...what did I do? Did I kiss you?"

He took a deep, shuddering breath and closed his eyes for a moment before looking at her, the warm shade of red making her breath hitch and her throat dry. "Yes."

She gulped, her limbs a jittery mess as she inched closer to him, and placed a shaky hand on his cheek. "Where?"

He made a small noise from the back of his throat, and she didn't know if it he meant to express his confusion or if it was a simple expression of thoughtfulness. He didn't reply, just leaned in closer to her, and she did not possess the patience to deal with his unresponsiveness right now, even though she found the little tilt of his head against her palm quite endearing. Nevertheless, she pressed on, "Where did I kiss you, Soul?" Her fingers moved, stroked his cheek and her thumb brushed the corner of his mouth. "Here? Did I kiss you here?" He tensed up slightly, but then nodded slowly, his eyes wide with apprehension.

She bit her lip as she took her gloves off to touch him properly. His skin was warm and soft as her hand stroked his bottom lip. "What about here?"

His strained groan made her shudder and her fingers burned and ached as her hand clenched in the fabric of his jacket, the leather rough. The zipper that was partly pulled down did nothing to appease her. She needed it off. It was not as much of a conscious decision as it was pure instinct that made her grasp it and pull it down slowly and deliberately, glad that his damned jacket was going to be out of the way and irritated because there was still his shirt obscuring her view of more interesting sights.

"Where did I touch you?" she asked, voice low and husky, as she unzipped his jacket completely. She pressed her hand against his chest, faintly feeling the rugged scar and his heart pounding frantically against the heated skin of her palm.

"Here?" Her fingers curled into his shirt, itching to take it off as well. She needed his skin, needed to see and touch and kiss and lick those strong abs.

His eyes burned like embers, a deep, warm red that made the tension in the pit of her stomach stir and her heart hammer in her chest cavity. His scorching breath ghosted over her cheek as he took her hand into his and she dazedly stared down at their joined hands, marvelling how large his was compared to hers.

Languidly he led her hand down his chest, lower and lower, until her fingertips grazed his belt buckle and then her palm was firmly pressed between his legs. She let out a squeak, her cheeks pinking, when he started to rub himself with her hand.

Her lungs were burning, her breaths coming out as short puffs. Maybe she should take her clothes off because it was far too hot here and she was sure if she remained in these constricting clothes her skin was going to ignite.

She had never touched someone like this before so her knowledge of how to handle erections was limited. Didn't it feel uncomfortable confined in his pants? Was the pressure of her hand enough? Or should she be more gentle, or what?

He shrugged his jacket off hastily and oh, he might as well shed his shirt at as well. She pulled at the fabric impatiently, quickly getting her point across. He didn't waste any time pulling it over his head, rewarding her with his sculpted chest. Her hands were on him the moment the shirt was gone, raking her nails down his abs as she struggled to get on her knees to push him down. She settled above his hips comfortably, her thighs snuggly fitting against his sides as she leaned down to press their lips together. It was odd and little sloppy on her part, but his lips were soft and she reveled in the texture, slowly running her tongue against his mouth.

Since his experience in regard to kissing was as a limited as hers, he was clumsy as well, his tongue prodding hers until they managed to angle their heads right, but his warm hand on her cheek and his heated breath on her skin felt nice so she didn't mind. They pulled apart with a shared hiss, his hard-on rubbing against her core as he moved his hips a little. She decided that she rather liked the way his face contorted and how he threw his head back with a groan, so she did what only seemed logical. Bracing herself with her hands placed firmly on his chest, she ground against him, her hips rolling and writhing efficiently as she successfully disabled his ability to speak. He returned the favour gratefully when he grasped her hips to guide them against his dick, making her gain a more steady rhythm.

She bent down and tasted his neck, licked off the sweat on his skin, kissed his pulse. It was exhilarating that his heart was beating this fast for her, that he found her so desirable, that she had the power to reduce him to this quivering mess.

"What did I do in your dreams, Soul? Tell me," she whispered against his ear, teasing its shell with her tongue, making him shudder and gasp as his fingers dug into her hips. She mewled needily, cursing that clothes had ever been invented because she needed her panties to go away and his pants and underwear, too.

"Did I touch you here?" Her fingertips grazed his nipples and his reaction was instantaneous, his hips thrusting up against her wet heat. He mumbled something under his breath and she was far too distracted by rise and fall of his chest and the sight of his scar to pay close attention to the half-sentences that came out of his insanely tantalizing mouth. She hummed questioningly, pinching his nipple for good measure, until he gave her an answer she liked.

"My scar."

Her lips curved into a devious smile and she had no idea what it did to him. He groaned, nodding as her eyes glinted and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips.

"I touched your scar, Soul?" The tip of her forefinger ran from where the sensitive scar tissue crossed over his heart up to his collarbone. "Did I kiss it? Or just touched it like this?" She placed her hand flatly over his lung.

He shook his head, a strained breath hissed out between his teeth before he spoke, "With your tongue."

"Oh?" She didn't know where she was getting this self-confidence. Sure, she had always been a brave girl, but she would have never thought she'd so flippantly enjoy seducing him. "You mean like this?" With that she leaned down to press her lips where the scar began, moving a little down until she cautiously let her tongue poke out to lick it. He whimpered, and she was sure all higher brain-function had just ceased to work in that moment. She wanted to hear that again, definitely.

She worked her way slowly down his scar, relishing in the sounds he made, in the way his body jerked under her attentive touch. She memorized every spot that made him particularly vocal or jumpy. She smiled a little when she kissed him just below his navel, enjoying the way his abs contracted and clenched but oh, his pants were in the way. She couldn't have that now. His hands were shaking when he tried to help her with his belt and zipper, so she gently pushed them away to take care of it herself. She didn't bother taking the belt off, just loosened it enough so that she could slide his pants down to his knees. His relieved hiss was as rewarding as it was arousing, and she bit her lip when she glanced down at the hard-on that was only concealed by the thin material of his boxers.

Before she could will her reluctance away, she was pulled forward by the elbows, his lips working against hers with a confidence that made her moan needily from the back of her throat. Once again, it was rather instinctual than fully intentional when she started to grind against him. It felt different, harder and hotter as he rubbed himself against her soaked panties, and she whimpered against his neck, his searing pants flitting over her temple. His sleep-humping paled in comparison to this and she wondered how it would feel like if they weren't wearing any clothes at all. She didn't know how far they would go, how far she wanted to go and if this was one big mistake; she could care less about useless doubts like those, not when Soul was whispering encouragements against her ear, how amazing and beautiful she was. His words made her heart turn into mush because when did Soul ever openly compliment her?

"What else, Soul?" His name was slurred throatily and she hissed when he tentatively cupped her butt under her skirt. "Tell me what I did with you in your dreams."

He tensed up at that but he showed no intention of wanting to remove his hand from her ass soon, and she ground against him harder, faster because she couldn't deal with his unresponsiveness now.

"Uh─fuck, you...you," he said huskily and even though she wanted him to speak up and get to the point, she couldn't resist riling him, her hips moving relentlessly as he tried to find his voice. "You...youblewme...but you don't have to do that!"

She halted all her movements, her heart thudding to a stop before it picked up, pumping in her chest with a vengeance. The liquid warmth in the pit of her stomach intensified at the mere thought of putting him into her mouth. She had always had fantasies that ranged from innocent kisses and cuddling on the couch to the steamiest fucking-sessions that would put every porn to shame, but would those fantasies be enough to pull this off? She had zero experience, and all of her limited knowledge came from books that described anything sexual in clinical detail. She gulped as she raised her head to look him in the eyes, his face stricken and pale with panic.

Gathering all the courage in her heart, she took a deep breath, her decision made.

"Take your boxers off, Soul."

"What?!"

She tried not to interpret the dread in his voice as the beginnings of a rejection. He was nervous, she knew, as she was, but she wanted this and needed a confirmation that he wanted the same.

"You heard me," she said, her voice steadier than she would have anticipated. "Or...don't you want my mouth on your..." She couldn't say it and it annoyed her, so she glanced down between them, feeling his hardness pressed hotly between her legs, and raised an eyebrow. She hoped she managed to look a little sexy at least, but the lustful groan he made didn't leave much room for doubt. She was still fully dressed─ maybe she should at least take her shirt off. Would he like to see her naked, see her small breasts and touch and bite and lick them?

Shaking her head she gave him a little room to strip, her mouth dry with excitement, her blood pounding frantically through her veins as Soul shakily writhed out of his boxers. She licked her lips, eyes focused on his dick as she remained kneeling in front of him, feeling dumb and inexperienced.

She flinched a little when he took her hand in his, his voice stuttering rasp when he spoke, "You...you started it like this─" He made her fingers enclose his shaft, his much larger hand squeezing hers. Her breath caught in her throat, her lungs burning as if deprived of air. She mutely stared at their joined hands as he gave another squeeze, her skin engulfed in warmth when he started to guide her hand up and down his dick. It took her a few minutes before her brain caught up with what was happening, that she was holding him hard and long in her small, calloused hand.

Taking a deep, calming breath she moved her hand without his guidance, marveling at the texture of his shaft, once again ingraining the particularly sensitive spots into her memory.

"And then you─_ah_! You...bent down and─" he moaned when she experimentally cupped his balls, and she couldn't fight off the devious smirk on her face.

"Yes, Soul? I bent down like this, yes?" She positioned herself so that her mouth was right above his shaft, her breath feathering heated flesh as her hand still worked on pleasing him. "And then? What did I do?"

She was sure her heart was going to burst out of her chest cavity; she felt elated with the power she had over him, yet her nervousness kept her from doing more and she could only risk a timid glance up to his face before she looked away.

"Your...your tongue!"

She cautiously licked his tip, delighting in the groan he released and the way his hands tangled in her hair. She hummed thoughtfully. "Did I do it in your dreams like this, Soul?"

He let out a strained breath. "You, uh, took me in your mouth...and sucked."

Bracing herself with a hand on his thigh, she followed his instructions. It was little awkward trying to fit him in her mouth and she took care not let her teeth anywhere near his flesh, and it was only after he moaned appreciatively that she could be sure she had gotten the hang of it.

"Yeah, like that, _fuck_─"

His deep, rumbling voice sent thrills through her body and she could only press her legs together, feeling the impossible wetness between them with more clarity than before. She needed friction, she needed his touch, anything to make the tension more bearable. Slowly she slid her hand between her thighs, hissing at the sensation of her fingers rubbing against her drenched panties.

There was no embarrassment as she stroked herself, though she noticed her multitasking skills suffered with the added action. The swipes of her tongue became clumsier and her rhythm was in disarray, her concentration thrown off and Soul's desperate whimper only reinforcing that. She needed to finish this quickly. She released his shaft with a wet plop, taking a deep breath while her hand continued to rub against her panties causing her to mewl. She briefly glanced up at Soul only to find his dumbstruck eyes glued to the hand that was furiously working between her legs.

Licking him languidly from the base to the tip, she took him into her mouth once more, sucking eagerly and once again reducing him into groans and pants. Her head bobbed up and down, he became louder, more vocal with his praise and she could feel the muscles in his thigh tense. He was close, at least she believed so. She had never been witness to a man having an orgasm before, but the way his fingers dug into her scalp and the way he seemed to be capable of saying her name and only her name, made his pleasure almost palpable to her. Was it possible to get off while getting off someone else? This level of arousal she felt was overwhelming in its intensity and she wasn't sure how to handle his touch if they ever got that far.

He pulled her head from his dick hastily, giving one last cry as he came, finishing himself with a few pumps of his own hand. She was startled but watched him intently as his orgasm took its course, taking particular note of his heaving chest before she stared down between his legs.

She waited patiently as he caught his breath and regained his composure, well, as much as he could regain their composure while his cock softened and he absentmindedly wiped the jizz on his hand away on a pant leg. She was still kneeling and her fingers were still pressed insistently against her core when he finally opened his eyes and looked at her, her knees and shins hurting as gravel and pines pricked into her skin.

"Sorry," he said, sounding as out of breath as he looked like.

She tilted her head to the side. "What for?"

"For...not taking care of you," he replied and motioned with his head jerkily into the direction of her legs.

His words excited her, made the blood roar loudly in her ears. "It's okay. You...you can take care of me now." She shuddered when his hazy eyes flitted over her, goosebumps rising on her skin as her breath hitched when he crawled over to her. She was mildly surprised when he kissed her, not having expected the uncharacteristic gentleness when his lips slanted over hers as his hands roamed down her back and she allowed herself to ease into the embrace. She wanted this, had wanted this for so long and she was tired of pretending that she didn't have feelings for him. Her heart was racing and her head was spinning as he carefully manoeuvred them around, making her lie down on her back. It was her own hands that unbuttoned her cloak and shirt, but she hesitated with the bra. Her self-consciousness wins over any confidence she might have had. She doubted she looked sexy right now, but then he breathed out her name in awe and his hands were on her breasts and she was cursing herself for not having taken her bra off already.

He squeezed gently, and she feared her heart might have leapt into her throat. A light blue glow from his hands and her breasts were free, the cool night air making her nipples hard and pert. She gasped, eyes widening at the tattered and cut remains of her bra in his hands.

"You didn't need to cut it off, Soul." She pouted, trying to look irritated if only to mask her uneasiness of being so exposed to him.

"Sorry," he said, only he didn't sound sorry and all with that shit-eating grin of his as he leered at her breasts.

She scoffed but accepted his kiss eagerly, humming against his lips as he pulled away and unabashedly groped her tits, his thumbs grazing over her nipples as she gasped. Her skin was on fire, his hands could be burning coal for all she knew and oh─_oh! _His mouth on her chest exceeded any heat she had been previously familiar with. He lazily licked a short path from the underside of her breast up to the nipple before it was fully engulfed in his hot mouth, her other tit diligently fondled by a nimble hand.

She arched up against him, her fingers digging into his scalp and pulling at white strands of hair as she relished in the sensation of his teeth lightly biting her skin. She could barely think straight, her mind delirious with his touch and she was shuddering and gasping when she realized that he was kissing a path down between her breasts, lightly nipping at a hipbone. His deft fingers rubbed circles into her sides until they slid down to push her skirt over hips.

She kind of wished she had decided to wear something sexier than the plain white panties. Soul however was staring at them with a sort of excitement that was beyond her grasp but that also squashed her embarrassment at her unsexy underwear. He pressed his lips against the side of her knee, his hand caressing her thigh as his mouth followed suit, each kiss and lick on sensitive flesh making her breath hitch. He spread her legs far apart, maybe farther than necessary and she felt her cheeks heat up more when she felt cool air against the dampness of her panties.

He tugged at the elastic of her panties, but made no attempt to take them off. "Uh..."

She giggled at his utter lack of cool, patting his cheek, a gesture equally full of affection as mischievous amusement. "Go ahead," she said, grinning cheekily, "You can take them off already."

He looked torn between mortification and glee, a combination that was odd, but Maka decided not to give damn anymore because he _cut her panties off._

"Why...Soul! Why would you cut them off, too?!

"Payback, ah, I mean, it'd take too long otherwise."

"Idiot."she huffed, but didn't have it in herself to muster up enough irritation, her desire and fondness for him winning over any negativity she might harbour over her shredded underwear, and found herself smiling at him like goof at his disarming grin.

He kneaded her inner thighs, stroking the skin there with hands that seemed to be designed for her body. She felt the fine hairs on the back of her neck rise the closer he got to her core; her eyes squeezed shut when she felt his finger against her wet folds, her muscles tensing slightly at the contact. She mewled lightly, moved her lips a little and he was stroking her slowly, intimately. She released a deep breath from her nose as she let him touch her to his heart's desire. He found her clit quickly, her voice rising in pitch with approval and want as she relaxed and cracked her eyes open for a fraction to watch him, curious and excited.

His finger carefully pressed against her opening, and not hearing or seeing any protests from her, he slowly sunk it inside, making her sigh at the friction. She nearly missed him leaning above her and she automatically brought him down to her, rubbing their warm chests together and kissing him needily. Even though the light of the vibrant, silvery moon was nice, they had not chosen the best location for this, and the ground was dirty and hard. Her coat shielded her back somewhat at least, but in the end she found herself not caring if this wasn't perfect and not on a bed with candles all around them as long as she was with Soul. She was never one for grand romantic gestures anyway.

She whined, annoyed and cold at the lack of contact between their bodies when he pulled away and pulled his finger out of her, but she was silenced quickly as he placed his face right in front of her folds and his heated breath caused her thighs to quiver.

He smirked. "This was always my favourite part in the dreams."

"Oh, really?" She snorted and raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Yeah, really." The way he said it, free of sarcasm and irony, made her believe him instantly and she didn't want to analyze what was happening to her body right now that he admitted he enjoyed pleasuring her with his mouth the most in his wet dreams.

The first tentative lick had her mind careening already, and Soul, emboldened now, licked her experimentally, quickly finding out what made her moan the loudest. He liked teasing her clit the most, but made sure to pay all of her enough attention. His tongue was devious and relentless in its advance, and when he cautiously thrust a finger into her as well, she knew she would be a goner in a matter of seconds. She hadn't realized how loud she was being and that she was indeed asking him for _more,_ and that she was trying to tug him closer to her by his hair as her boot scraped noisily against the ground. Her body was flushed and hot with sweat and her chest was heaving as her heart furiously pumped her racing blood through her veins. Almost, she could feel it, the sweet release.

Her orgasm hit her in waves, and Soul did not stop when she cried out, his tongue and fingers still caressing her, until her body relaxed and she was huffing, trying to tell herself that yes, she had not melted into the ground and that she could still move her legs even when they felt lax and boneless.

Her addled brain needed a few seconds to regain its higher function, and she was smiling up at him when he placed his hands on either side of her head and looked down at her. She petted his cheek, rose up sluggishly to kiss him, feeling warm and content and pleased. She could feel his mouth curving into a smile against her lips and when he pulled away, their faces flushed, he was sporting a silly grin.

They didn't need to talk this one out to know what they were now and what the future held for them. A single glance and a chaste kiss was all that was needed to affirm that not much was going to change, that they would still be Maka Albarn and Soul Eater─ fighting pre-kishins and juggling school and arguing about whose turn it was to cook.

When they lazily redressed themselves as much as possible, she decided as she stared at his finely sculpted ass that she was going to thoroughly relish in the slight changes their relationship was going to bring. He gave her a sheepish smile when she held her mangled underwear up with a mock-scowl; they wouldn't serve much of a purpose anymore, but she sure as hell was not going to leave them here.

The walk back, hand in hand, was mostly silent but unlike before, it was nice and comfortable and maybe even something close to romantic what with the moonlight filtering through the branches of the trees and illuminating their path. They had put a third of the way behind them when she cringed at the uncomfortable heat and the way the sweat clung to her body and clothes.

"You know, I really don't regret anything we did, but I kinda feel dirty," she said, scrunching up her nose as she tried to disentangle the collar of her blouse from her sweat-slicked skin.

Soul let out a discreet cough; the leer down her cleavage was less discreet. "Now that you mention that─one of my dreams involved us in a shower, if you catch my drift."

She grinned; she was going to sleep well that night.

* * *

A/N: This was written for the wonderful Zombeikid/ZTheIncomplete for her birthday :)


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